Godfried Schalcken

Key facts

Lived

1643–1706, Dutch

Movement

• Baroque

Works held in

49 museums^[1]

• Diana and Her Nymphs in a Clearing

  Leiden Collection

  New York City, United States

  10 works

  

  Museum details
• Portrait of Françoise van Diemen, wife of Godfried Schalcken

  Liechtenstein Museum

  Vienna, Austria

  3 works

  

  Museum detailsMap
• Cephalus and Procris

  Metropolitan Museum of Art

  New York City, United States

  1 works

  Museum detailsMap
• Man's portrait

  National Gallery of Armenia

  Yerevan, Armenia

  1 works

  Museum detailsMap
• An Offer Rejected

  Weston Park

  Weston-under-Lizard, United Kingdom

  1 works

  Museum detailsMap

Plan your visit to see Godfried Schalcken →

• What is Godfried Schalcken known for?+

  Godfried Schalcken^[11] is known for his mastery of artificial light, which made him the most celebrated specialist in the genre after Gerrit Dou. He painted by looking through a small hole into a dark room where a candle lit his subject, producing nocturnal images of extraordinary intimacy.
• What is Godfried Schalcken's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name one single "most famous" work by Godfried Schalcken^[11], as fame is subjective and fluctuates over time. However, he is well known for his genre paintings and portraits, particularly those featuring candlelight. Schalcken's skill in depicting nocturnal scenes and artificial light sources set him apart from many of his contemporaries. He often painted scenes illuminated by candles, lamps, or embers, creating a dramatic contrast between light and shadow. This technique, known as nocturne, became a signature element of his style. Without specific titles or further information, it is challenging to pinpoint one definitive piece that overshadows all others in terms of recognition. However, his candlelight paintings, in general, are considered a significant aspect of his artistic output and contribution to Dutch Golden Age painting.
• What should I know about Godfried Schalcken's prints?+

  Godfried Schalcken^[11] (1643-1706) was part of a robust art market in the Netherlands. This market included privately arranged purchases, sales, and auctions. Well-organised collections of paper art were common, with collectors storing them in large folios and art books. These collections often included prints by German and Italian artists from the 16th and 17th centuries, along with recent mezzotints. Connoisseurship was not always based on empirical observation. Collectors sometimes prioritised quality over precise attribution. During auctions, experts might conceal hesitations about a work's authenticity to maximise its selling price. The practice of labelling works in the style of a famous artist with that artist's name was common, even if the work was a studio product or a later copy.
• What style or movement did Godfried Schalcken belong to?+

  Godfried Schalcken^[11] was a Dutch painter who worked in the late Baroque style. The Baroque emerged around 1600, following Mannerism, and lasted until about 1750. The style is associated with dynamism, emotion, and drama achieved through tonal contrasts. It began in Italy, then spread to other European countries. Baroque art moved away from idealised figures, portraying realistic figures and situations, often using ordinary people as models. Energetic compositions replaced relaxing harmonies. The art was direct and dramatic, intended to tell stories clearly. While the Baroque style had its greatest impact in Catholic countries, it was resisted in Protestant countries like Holland and Britain. The Baroque that developed in northern Europe tended to emphasise realism in daily life, moving away from the emotional impact preferred by Catholic countries.
• What techniques or materials did Godfried Schalcken use?+

  Godfried Schalcken^[11] was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Like other Baroque masters, Schalcken employed specific techniques in his paintings. Seventeenth-century painters typically loaded their palettes with a limited number of colours, suitable for the section of the work they planned to complete at that stage. Some techniques involved a reflective white ground layer. The underpainting could be a grey-toned version of the finished image. Alternatively, a more sophisticated method involved an underdrawing to establish contours and dark areas on the white ground, covered with a thin, transparent imprimatura. This allowed the drawing to show through while establishing a middle tone. Highlights could then be added in white paint. Colour was applied as thin, transparent glazes, allowing the underpainting to define the forms. Highlighted areas could be achieved with a thin application of local colour, tinting the white underpainting. Dark tones, however, required multiple layers to cover the underdrawing and establish the correct local colour. Another technique involved highlighting with impasto white. The artist toned the surface with a middle or darker value, then created the image with an underpainting of washes. Areas to be highlighted were then created with heavy impasto white paint. This allowed the image to evolve during construction and permitted extreme chiaroscuro.
• What was Godfried Schalcken known for?+

  Godfried Schalcken^[11] (1643-1706) was a Dutch painter known for genre scenes and portraiture. He was born in Made, North Brabant. Schalcken trained with Samuel van Hoogstraten in Dordrecht, and later with Gerard Dou in Leiden. Dou's influence is apparent in Schalcken's meticulous technique and preference for small-scale, domestic subjects. Schalcken distinguished himself through his innovative use of light, particularly his nocturnal scenes illuminated by candlelight, a style that brought him considerable attention. He spent time in London, where he painted portraits for William III. His work also includes biblical and mythological subjects, often rendered with the same attention to detail and lighting effects as his genre pieces. Schalcken's ability to capture the subtleties of light and shadow, combined with his refined brushwork, made him a sought-after artist in his time.
• Where can I see Godfried Schalcken's work?+

  Paintings by Godfried Schalcken^[11] can be found in several European museums. The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Dresden holds The Adoration of the Magi and The Exposing of Moses. The Hermitage Museum in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) has The Deposition, Esther Before Ahasuerus, Four Putti and Two Dogs, and The Holy Family in Egypt. The Städelsches Kunstinstitut in Frankfurt a. M. has Landscape with Pyramus and Thisbe. The Niedersächsische Landesgalerie in Hanover holds The Inspiration of the Lyric Poet. The Staatliche Kunsthalle in Karlsruhe has The Holy Family with St. John Holding a Cross, while the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Kassel has Nymph, Satyr, Faun, and Cupids. In Madrid, the Prado holds Apollo and the Muses on Parnassus, Landscape with Buildings, Landscape with St. Jerome, Meleager and Atalanta Hunting, St. Cecilia, and The Triumph of David. In Moscow, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts has The Continence of Scipio and Landscape with Hercules and Cacus.
• Where was Godfried Schalcken from?+

  Godfried Schalcken^[11]'s origins are a little unclear. He is generally considered Dutch, and the Dutch Republic gained official recognition of its independence from Spain in 1648. Worldwide trade and banking brought prosperity to its predominantly Protestant citizenry, which largely rejected church art in favour of private commissions of portraits, genre scenes, still lifes and what was called "history painting", including religious subjects. However, Schalcken's birthplace is often cited as Made (now part of Drimmelen), North Brabant. This area had a complex relationship with the Dutch Republic. While the northern Netherlands were predominantly Protestant, North Brabant was a border region; the population was largely Catholic. The area only came under Dutch control in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and Catholics were allowed to worship only in private houses, not in public spaces. It is possible Schalcken's family moved to Dordrecht, in Holland, during his early life.
• Who did Godfried Schalcken influence?+

  Godfried Schalcken^[11]'s influence can be traced to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Several artists responded to his paintings, with Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) making drawings after works by Schalcken. Alexis Grimou (1678-1733) appropriated Schalcken's conception of large-scale single figures; in his self-portrait of 1721, Grimou adopted the poses of characters like the Jolly Toper and Jonker Ramp. Later in the 1700s, as Schalcken's paintings became better known in France, Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) engaged with the Dutch artist's works more directly. Fragonard emulated Schalcken's handling, especially in his series of fifteen fantasy portraits created between 1768 and 1772. Fragonard built forms from layers of overlapping paint, leaving individual strokes unblended to create stark juxtapositions. In his 1990 study, Claus Grimm saw Schalcken's manner as distinctive, and focused his comparisons on later painters. Grimm described Schalcken as a precursor of Manet and an anticipation of Paul Cézanne's way of painting, while also linking the Dutch painter to Courbet, Leibl, and Van Gogh.
• Who influenced Godfried Schalcken?+

  Godfried Schalcken^[11] trained with Samuel van Hoogstraten in Dordrecht. He then worked in Gerard Dou's Leiden workshop from about 1662 to 1667. Dou's influence on Schalcken is clear. Dou was one of the most successful painters in Leiden, and he specialised in small, highly finished genre scenes. Schalcken adopted a similar approach, and his early works are very close in style to Dou's. However, Schalcken also developed his own individual style. He was particularly interested in the effects of artificial light, and he produced a number of paintings that are lit by candles or lamps. He may have been inspired by the Delft artists Egbert van der Poel, who specialised in night scenes, or Pieter de Hooch, who was working in Delft during the 1650s. Schalcken's interest in light may also reflect the influence of the Dutch Caravaggisti, who were based in Utrecht.
• Who was Godfried Schalcken?+

  Godfried Schalcken^[11] (1643-1706) was a Dutch painter, known for genre paintings and portraits. Schalcken was born in Made, North Brabant. He studied with Samuel van Hoogstraten in Dordrecht, and later with Gerard Dou in Leiden. Dou's emphasis on refined details had a lasting impact on Schalcken's style. Schalcken's works often feature domestic interior scenes. He became well known for his skill in depicting candlelight and nocturnal settings, a popular theme among artists of the time. Schalcken moved to The Hague around 1691, where he continued to produce portraits and genre scenes for wealthy patrons. He later worked in England for several years, painting portraits for the aristocracy. His ability to capture likenesses and textures made him a sought-after portraitist. Schalcken returned to The Hague, where he died in 1706.
• Why are Godfried Schalcken's works important today?+

  Godfried Schalcken^[11] (1643-1706) was a Dutch painter known for genre works and portraits. While not as widely celebrated as some of his contemporaries, Schalcken's importance lies in his technical skill and his contribution to the development of candlelight painting. Schalcken trained with Samuel van Hoogstraten in Dordrecht and later with Gerard Dou in Leiden. He adopted Dou's fine style, but developed his own specialisation: nocturnal scenes lit by candlelight. These paintings, such as "Girl Blowing Out a Candle," demonstrate a mastery of light and shadow, creating dramatic and atmospheric effects. His influence can be seen in the works of later artists who explored similar themes, and his paintings remain popular with collectors and art enthusiasts today. Schalcken's portraits also offer insights into the appearance and fashions of his era. His ability to capture likenesses and details makes them valuable historical documents. Although some critics found fault with aspects of his style, his technical skill and unique approach to lighting ensure his place in art history.